The architect of O.J. Simpson's acquittal let the nation see justice in black and white

JOHNNIE COCHRAN JR. The architect of O.J. Simpson's acquittal let the nation see justice in black and white

WHEN CHRONICLERS OF THIS CHARGED ERA sift through the moments, grand and trivial, that were called turning points in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, they may well conclude that Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. did not, in fact, play the "race card." He didn't have to because in many ways Cochran was the race card--a lawyer who had built a lucrative career representing minority victims of police misconduct. By the time he joined what was to become known as the Dream Team, Cochran, 58,...